


Strangers on a train

by Micro13



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/F, Minor Characters Death, Shooting, alternative universe, clarke artist, description of war, lexa soldier, strangers on a train
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2017-07-11
Packaged: 2018-11-30 23:36:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11474034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Micro13/pseuds/Micro13
Summary: Lexa is returning home from her final tour of Afghanistan and Clarke is the cute blonde she sees who barely makes it onto the train in time. Now, not being able to focus on her book, Lexa quietly watches the flustered blonde find a seat and start sketching.When the blonde finally looks up and they catch one another’s eye. Clarke realises she’s is a sucker for a woman in uniform. Books and sketching are soon forgotten and the rest they say is history…





	Strangers on a train

**Author's Note:**

> This is for @anonbemetoo SOAT tumblr challenge. I'm doing this backwards, I created a moodboard with a vague idea and now I've attempted to write a one shot based on that moodboard. 
> 
> I'm not sure what's harder making a moodboard from an existing fic or writing a fic based on 8 separate images. See link below for moodboard-
> 
>  
> 
> [my moodboard ](https://micro13.tumblr.com/post/162698426740/clexa-moodboard-my-attempt-at-the-strangers-on-a)
> 
>  
> 
> I hope this works  
> Enjoy ;)
> 
> Also thanks for all you help @AnonBeMe

 

  
It's been a long year for Lexa, but the last few months on her final tour of Afghanistan were gruelling. She was glad to be on the final leg of her journey home now, even if she had been travelling for nearly 24hours.

She tried to allow the hypnotic rhythm and sounds of the train to relax her, but memories of the event that lead her to here were never far away. She wanted to forget, forget it all and start again.

She loved the army. It was her whole life, it was her everything. She never wanted to do anything else and so she worked hard and made the first female platoon commander under the age of 25. She had great friends and a best friend Anya there. She saw her future there.

At Christmas, that's when it all went wrong. When her best friend died and it was all her fault.

A routine mission, they said. Area secure they said. In, out and no problems they said. They couldn't have been more wrong!

Bad intelligence lead to them being ambushed. No cover, under attack with no back up. Her platoon was trapped! Switching immediately into commander mode and with adrenaline surging through her body she got control over her panicking squad. She had to get them out of there fast, but more importantly alive. In the panic to find cover, 2 of her squad were gunned down. No one could spot the sniper, looking high and low as they went, they had to keep moving.

Just before she got them to a safer location, someone fell, shot in the leg. Her best friend Anya went back to help them. That's when the sniper struck again. A bullet straight through the helmet killing her immediately. Shots were going off in every direction, but Lexa never left a person behind. She put Lincoln in charge and sent the platoon onwards to safety. She however ran back to pick up the young soldier. She flung the girl over one shoulder and ran with everything she had. Making it to cover, with no other injuries they managed to radio back to base. They barricaded themselves in a room and prayed help would arrive before it was too late.

No one else died thanks to Lexa, but it wasn't good enough. It was her platoon and she failed to bring them all home alive.

Her supervisor said it wasn't her fault and everyone told her she did her best in unfortunate circumstances, but she never truly believed them. She couldn't do this anymore, her heart was broken and faith in the army and herself was shattered.

She wanted out and to leave this god forsaken war behind, but she was forced to finish out the remainder of her active duty term, so that's what she did.

6 months of torture, trying to get through daily army life. The major general kept trying to convince her to re-enlist, said she was the best commander they had. They begged her to stay, but she was done with it all.

Lexa had spent the majority of her adult life enlisted and now had no purpose or clue what life held next. She had a destination, a long train journey and no plans after that. That’s why she was currently on a train trying to psych herself up to seeing her family again. She wished she hadn't been so tired and had remembered to changed out of her uniform before boarding the train. It made her more noticeable, when she just wanted to be invisible these days.

As she tried to read her book she found her mind wandering and her eyes instinctively watching the scenery fly by. The train slowed down as it approached the next station. Out the corner of her eye she noticed a blonde woman running from the car park, while trying to pull a large suitcase behind her. The woman was clearly not a runner and no way in hell was she going to make it before the train set off again. Lexa pondered about getting up and holding the doors open, hopefully delaying the train long enough for the woman to reach. She was cute after all and especially now she was shouting while simultaneously trying to run and get the attention of the conductor. Just as Lexa decided to rise from her seat, she noticed a tall curly haired man had obviously had the same idea and was now jamming the doors open. He was waving the blonde into this carriage.

 

\------

  
Clarke saw her train pulling into the station as she yanked her luggage out the taxi. She was cursing the unhelpful driver who just sat in his cab while she struggled to get her suitcase out the trunk. She paid him and started to walk quickly through the car park.

She had been travelling around the world for the last 10 months going everywhere from Singapore to Florence. It was all in the hopes of getting inspiration for her art. She'd lost her passion after a bad break up and so on a whim she left everything behind.

It had been fabulous so far. She had met amazing people, eaten fabulous food and seen some of the great wonders of the world, but she still hadn't got her spark back. She had been on the European leg of her trip with many plans of places still to see, when she got word she needed to return home. She had practically no money to her name and couldn't afford a flight directly home. Taking the cheapest and most indirect way, she finally made it onto US soil. Unfortunately it was on the wrong side of the country, so now with a very long, but much cheaper train journey she headed for the platform.

She suddenly realised it was further to walk than first appeared. Shit, she wasn't going to make it, so here she was with panic flooding her mind as she started to run. It was difficult enough because of her lack of fitness, but try running while pulling a large heavy suitcase was near impossible. She yelled and waved her one free arm trying to get the attention of someone, anyone.

The train doors shut and Fuck.. she missed it. She had to get this train, it was the last one heading home today.

She stopped dead, ready to cry, when she spotted a curly haired man waving from a jammed open door. She had never been so relieved. She ran on and finally reached the open doors. Embarrassingly she could hardly breathe as she pulled her case into the train. She had to double over and tried to calm herself down. God she was a mess and felt pathetic.

She finally straightened up and thanked the man in between gasping for breath. She could have almost hugged him, but thought better of it.

He started telling her how he had seen her running and thought he couldn't let a beautiful girl miss the train. Feeling a little awkward now, Clarke moved along the aisle to put her suitcase in one of the racks, which of course he insisted on helping with. She knew everything he had done was really kind and he really didn't need to, but she was tired and wanted to sit alone and relax now. She started to look around the carriage for an empty seat, hopefully away from this guy when she spotted a dark haired woman in army uniform quietly reading a book and by good luck both seats opposite her were empty.

As she moved down the aisle the guy was still talking. He proceeds to tell her his name is Bellamy and if she wanted there was a spare seat beside him. She was trying to ignore him because her full attention was now locked onto the gorgeous soldier and the empty seat. She just hoped the brunette was friendly and Bellamy would get the hint she wasn't interested.

\-------

Not wanting to appear like a creep, Lexa locked her eyes on the book in her lap. The urge to let her gaze follow the blonde was overwhelming, but she remained fixated in her fake book reading. She did however continue to listen out as two sets of footsteps approached her seat. All she could hear were the dulcet tones of the man rambling on and on while the pair walked up the aisle.

Lexa peeked up from her book to see the blonde awkwardly smiling at the man. The next thing she knew the blonde had plonked herself on the empty seat opposite and was politely telling him thanks, but she was fine here. The guy muttered something to himself before walking back to his seat. She's not sure what prompted the blonde to suddenly sit here, but Lexa couldn't help but smirk a little.

After a moment she glanced up again hoping to catch her attention, but the blonde was busy pulling out what looked like a sketch pad. She turned her head to stare out the window for a while, but it wasn't long before her gaze caught the movements her new companion in the reflection. Watching the pencil glide across the page and a look of deep concentration plastered on the woman's face was endearing. She reminded her of simpler times, when her childhood friend Costia used to draw. Lexa smiled to herself and turned her head to properly look at the blonde and maybe catch a glimpse of what she was sketching.

As if she sensed Lexa's stare, the blonde looked up from her sketchpad and smiled at Lexa. Damn those blue eyes, damn that beautiful smile. Her heart stuttered and she lost herself for a moment. She didn't realise how easy it was to fall into the oceans of someone's eyes.

\------

Not knowing what to do now she was seated, Clarke had begun to sketch. First it was a nose, then the slant of a jaw and before she realised it was the beautiful dark haired soldier sitting opposite her. She had reasonable look at the striking woman when she was walking up the aisle, but hadn't intended to draw her. She had hoped to catch her attention when she sat down and maybe laugh with her about the weird guy, but all hopes of beginning a conversation were lost when they woman didn't so much as look up.

Trying not to look as creepy as she felt, she continued to sketch the soldier gazing out the window. That jaw line was to die for. She was the most beautiful woman Clarke had ever seen and that uniform just made her intriguing. All the travelling she had done looking for inspiration and right here looking at this woman it was flooding through her. Her face was now committed to memory and Clarke realised she would never tire of drawing it.

When she looked up at the soldier again, she suddenly realised the brunette had turned to look at her. Seizing her chance to chat, she cleared her throat. "Hi I'm Clarke, where are you headed soldier?"

They locked eyes for a split second and the with a solemn look, the brunette replied, "home..... Just home."

Clarke instantly felt bad for annoying the woman now. She clearly wanted to be left alone, but there was something familiar in the look and the way she had said "just home". For some unknown reason Clarke wanted to offer comfort to this complete stranger, but she didn't know how.

Trying to decide how to get the woman talking again, she notices the brunette closing her book and then with an apologetic look she spoke,"Sorry… It's been a long journey…Let me start again… I'm Lexa and can I just say no wonder the skies are grey today because all the blue is in your eyes!"

Clarke wasn't expecting the conversation to turn so flirty, so quickly, especially after the way Lexa had first answered her. She was now a little embarrassed because she knew her cheeks had flushed a little pink.

"Are you always this smooth with strangers on a train Lexa?"

Lexa smirks and shrugs her shoulders. "I have more if you want.... I don't know what's prettier today, the water, the sky or your eyes."

Clarke shakes her head and chuckles, then a wide smile breaks onto her face. If Lexa wants to flirt with her, then she's not going to waste the opportunity.

"You're lucky you’re cute."

\------

The next few hours of their journey fly by in more than one way. Clarke is so easy to talk to. They talk about her artwork, her family and so many stories about her travelling. Clarke makes Lexa laugh and for a moment, she forgets all her troubles.

In return Lexa talks about the places she's been, her family and how she's looking forward to seeing her younger brother. She skirts around the topic of the army and Clarke doesn't bring it up again, it's as if she senses it's not a topic she wishes to discuss. Lexa is grateful.

A look suddenly passes over Clarke's face and now Lexa sees a great sadness in her eyes. The blonde takes a deep breathe and then begins to explain that she was returning home unexpectedly, hence the last minute dash to catch the train. She received word her best friend Wells had died and his funeral is tomorrow.

It suddenly hits Lexa that Clarke's mad dash and frantic behaviour to catch the train was one routed with fear and desperation. Guilt washes over Lexa for having let herself be amused by it all. It now makes sense that the look she saw earlier, was probably mirrored in her own eyes. Despair, grief, pain and above all understanding.

Lexa feels the urge to comfort Clarke. She knows the pain of loss all too well, but she holds herself back. They don't know each other, so instead she offers up the story about Anya and they silently bond over their shared pain.

When Lexa's stop approaches she asks Clarke if she could call her sometime. It turns out they are living in the towns next to one another.  
Clarke nods and asks for Lexa's phone.

When Lexa gets off the train and looks at Clarke's number she see she's labelled herself stranger on a train followed by a winking emoji. Lexa can't help but laugh. She hopes to change that from strangers to more very soon.

\------

Thinking back now some 5 years later a smile crosses Lexa's face. She's exactly where she wants to be, as she watches Clarke make dinner. Meeting Clarke was fate, becoming friends was a choice, but falling in love was beyond either of their control…

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> You can also find me on twitter (@Micro13ao3) and tumblr (@micro13)
> 
> Come and say Hi.


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